


Souls Intertwined

by awkwardly_living



Series: Souls Intertwined [1]
Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anxiety, Eventual Romance, First Meetings, Friendship, High School, Multi, Painting, Social Anxiety, Soulmarks, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2019-11-24 02:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18160004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardly_living/pseuds/awkwardly_living
Summary: THIS IS THE MAIN BOOK!! the rest of the series is add-ons and one-shots.In a world where everyone has a soulmate, whether platonic or romantic, a group of friends struggles to find where they fit in. First Meetings, high school, Bond Breaks, and many more hardships try to tear them apart. They must grow as a group and as individuals to make it through.-------





	1. Authors Note/Introduction

 

     Hello! My name's Rory, and I'm obviously the author/writer/whatever of this story. This is the first draft of my revamped book. I am attempting to finish it before 2020, but there are quite a few factors that could prevent that goal from being achieved. I will try, however! 

     I will be attempting to post a chapter of this every other Friday. If I miss a few weeks without an explanation, please feel free to holler at me. 

     If you want to see art of the characters, go check out my pinterest account @rory nighthawk ||-// and on my board "my art :)." I also now have an Instagram @awkwardly_living, and all art of the characters will be tagged with #soulsintertwinedbook.

     Alright, I believe that that is all. I can't think of really anything else to put, so please, enjoy, and feel free to comment any questions or constructive criticism. 

     Have a great day/night! 


	2. Chapter One-Anxiety and Painting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to chapter one! I hope you like it :)  
> [thank you so much to beyondmythoughts for being a beautiful human being and encouraging me to write and upload this <3]

 

     Being awake at four a.m. of the first day of tenth grade is never a good idea. Garret sighed. He hadn't slept a wink yet, and it was already four a.m. Just like almost every other high schooler, he was majorly dreading it. His lack of sleep wasn't just due to that, however. His thoughts kept drifting to his last birthday.

     His soulmark had pulsed. He was going to meet his soulmate this year. Since he hadn't met them yet, he had come to the conclusion that there was quite a high chance that he was going to meet them at school. That thought excited but terrified him.

     Meeting your soulmate was a big deal, especially because most people never got to meet theirs. Garret didn’t understand why he was one of the “lucky” ones who did. He wanted to choose who he fell in love with, and not just be with someone because a mark on his arm told him that he had to. He wondered if his soulmate felt the same way. Maybe they resented him. He had been told by many people in his life that if he ever met his soulmate, they’d think he was pathetic and would hate him. Even if he didn’t truly believe that anymore, the words still stuck with him.

_What if they were right?_

     Garret cut off the train of thought. He sat up. Leaning back against the wall, he looked down at his wrist. The light glow in his room from the crystal he had showed the scar-colored mark on his arm. It started as a dot on his wrist and twisted outwards, lines curling in and out, wrapping around his arm. That was his soulmark. The mark that was supposed to change his fate. The mark that was supposed to make him happy. So far, all the mark had brought him was disappointment and heartache.

     The idea of soulmates was stupid to Garret. Why did the universe get to decide who was right for you and who wasn’t? All of his life had been people making decisions for him, and now the mark on his arm was too? He refused it. He refused the thought of soulmates. He would make connections with people because he wanted to, not because he was “fated” to.

     He sighed and forced himself to get out of bed. Pulling on a shirt, he grabbed his phone and headed down the stairs. Garret turned on the kitchen lights. He grabbed a pear from the bowl on the counter before sitting at the table. He pulled out his phone. There was no new activity from his friend group’s group chat, which, although disappointed him, at least made him happy for them that they were hopefully getting some sleep.

     Turning his phone back off and setting it on the table, Garret looked out the window. It was still dark outside. Garret groaned and laid his head down in his arms, pear forgotten.

     “I don’t want to go,” he muttered to himself. A noise behind him caused him to startle, tensing and looking around fearfully. He relaxed as he saw the cause of the noise.

     “Garret? What are you doing up?” his mother asked, coming to sit beside him.

     He shrugged, leaning forward on the table. “Couldn’t sleep.”

     “Anxious?” Garret nodded. “Want to talk about it?” She put a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged again in response. She smiled at him softly before looking out the window. “It feels odd being up this early, don’t you think? It feels like you’re in your own bubble of space and time.”

     Garret smiled. “Yeah, I guess so.”

     His mom looked at him for a long moment. “I’m proud of you, you know?”

     Garret looked at her, confused. “Why?”

     “You’ve come so far since you first came here. You almost never talked or looked us in the eye. You’ve opened up. I’m proud of you for that. I know it was hard.”

     Garret smiled. “Well, I’m glad I’m here.”

     His mom hugged him. “I’m glad you’re here too. Now, how about some early morning painting to settle us for the day, hm?” Garret nodded with a grin and went off to grab their container of paint supplies.

     They got set up and started. Garret was painting a sunset. He liked sunsets. They had so much color and life to them. His mom, was painting a person. He asked who she was painting, but she winked and told him that he’d see once she was finished.

     Painting together was an activity that Garret and his mom had started a few weeks after he was adopted. Painting was a way of connecting for them without having to talk or think too much. Garret loved art, and he loved spending time with his mom. His mom and he were a lot alike. He found safety and trust in her.

     His mom smiled at him. “Love you, bud,” she said quietly, kissing his head. He leaned his head against her shoulder.

     “I love you too, Aura.”

     They sat in mostly silence the rest of the time, letting their brushes do the talking. Garret slowly relaxed, the painting taking his mind off of the anxiety. No matter what was going to happen, he trusted that he at least had a home to go back to. He was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm hoping to figure out a consistent upload schedule [possibly every other Friday?] after I finish a multi-chaptered Voltron fic [which currently uploads every Friday].  
> thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Two-Welcome to Hell-Wait, no, It's Called High School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much to my dear friends, lois, mara, lilah, and bree for supporting me so much with this book so far. love you guys <3

     Garret waved to his sister as he headed to homeroom. He got to the room at the same time as two other boys and walked in behind them. He headed to his seat, near the back of the room. Fiddling with his hands, he tried to take a deep breath.

     “It’s only a few hours,” he muttered. “We can do this.” He tried to keep his mind off of everything, but the anxiety gripping his heart only increased.

     In for four.

     Hold for seven.

     Out for eight.

     Repeat.

     The breathing exercise helped keep him stable for the moment. The last few students had filed in meanwhile, and the bell rang. The buzz in the room quieted mostly.

     “Alright. Good morning, everyone. I’m Miss Hintz. Welcome to tenth grade,” the teacher said, standing in front of the class. “So, we’re going to take attendance real quick.” She grabbed a clipboard from her desk and read off of it. “Hope Kelley?”

     “Here.”

     “Fredrich Kennedy?”

     “Here.”

     Garret tuned out the rest of the names. He never usually cared all that much to learn everyone’s names. He had friends that he hung out with, and that was enough for him.

     His attention snapped back to the room as Miss Hintz called, “Garret Mason?”

     “Here,” he said, gaze fixed firmly on his desk. He hated attendance.

 

     The rest of homeroom went by fairly quickly, and he was off to his first class-algebra II.

     Garret kept his head down as he headed into the classroom, finding and taking his seat in the second row. He hadn’t looked up from his desk until a tap on his shoulder startled him.

     “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Lucy, a friend of Garret’s, said.

     “It’s ok. How are you?”

     Lucy shrugged. “Kind of excited. New year, new opportunities, I suppose.”

     “Opportunities for what?”

     “Well, learning for one. Maybe join a club or something.”

     “You? Join a club?”

     Lucy rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe. Anyways, I should probably get seated and stuff. What’s your next class after this?”

     Garret took a moment to recall before replying, “Biology.”

     “ _Deodamnatus,_ ” she cursed. “I guess I’ll see you later, then

     “Yeah, see you,” Garret said as she headed to her seat. The bell had just rung when another guy sat next to Garret, out of breath.

     “Just in time, huh?” he said, smirk on his face.

     “Yeah, guess so.”

     He smiled. “I’m Tyler,” he said.

     Garret nodded in acknowledgement. “I’m Garret.”

     Tyler nodded and smiled again before turning to face the teacher as she started talking.

     “Alright, Hello. I’m Mrs. Tupua, but you can call me Mrs. Tu if you’d prefer. Now, for seating, after a week or so to give me a chance to know some of your names, feel free to sit wherever.” Mrs. Tu sighed. “Look, I know none of you want to be here, but trust me, neither do I. Let’s just try to make this as easy as possible for both of us, ok?”

     The class muttered various noises in agreement or half-heartedness.

     “Ok, well, on that note, let’s get started on basic math, because apparently they seem to think that you don’t know that already.”

* * *

 

     Garret’s next class was biology. So far, he wasn’t a fan of the whole “going to school” thing. He definitely preferred cyber-school. Nevertheless, he walked into class anyway. He didn’t recognize anyone in the class, but, seeing as he only had two friends that went to the school, he wasn’t surprised. He quickly took his seat as the rest of the students rushed in. The bell rang, and the teacher closed and locked the door.

     “Good morning. I am Mr. Vinetta and I will be teaching biology this year. You will be sitting in the order you are in now all year. I will not tolerate tardiness, nor talking. Your phones must remain in your bag or locker for the entirety of class, and you will wait to leave until I say. Is that clear?”

     Garret as well as some of the others nodded. Garret sighed quietly. He already knew that this class was going to be just so very much fun. Hopefully the rest of his classes weren’t this bad.

* * *

 

     Geography with Mr. Toran was extremely boring. Garret zoned out during the majority of it. He never understood why there was a whole class for geography when it was already taught in social studies. Nevertheless, he got through the class and ended up in English. He was disappointed to see neither of his friends once again. At least they all had the same lunch period.

     Garret snapped back into attention as class started.

     “Hello, students! I’m Miss Tamara Cook, but you can call me Miss Tamara. This is my first year, so we’ll be learning together!”

     Garret immediately felt bad for her. Starting teaching in tenth grade? That couldn’t be fun. Even still, he supposed she was better than his biology teacher. He settled in and looked at the clock. He still had almost an hour until his lunch period. He sighed quietly. He’d survive until then.

* * *

 

     Lunch was a hectic half-hour. Garret hated the thought of having to stand in line with everyone just to get food. He instead brought a sandwich. It was fairly smashed after being in his bag, but it was food nonetheless.

     “Hey! Long time no see!” Oli, another of Garret’s friends, said, coming up to the table and plopping down with his tray.

     “Oh, hey. How are you?”

     “I’m doin’ pretty ok. How ‘bout you?”

     “I’m alright.”

     “Cool, cool. Sucks we don’t have any classes together yet, huh?” Oli said around a mouth full of whatever the undistinguishable lunch was that day.

     “Yeah. Do you have any classes with Lucy?”

     Just as Oli was about to answer, Lucy arrived at the table. “What are we saying about me?”

     “Whether Lui has classes together or not,” Oli said.

     “Lui?” Lucy sat down and set her tray down on the table in front of her.

     “Yeah, Lui! Ya know, Lu, Oli, it’s our soulmate name!”

     “Well, I get that, but ‘Lui’? Seriously?”

     “Yeah! What’s wrong with it? Would you rather it be something like ‘Loli’?”

     “Oh, _infernum_ , no. Neither of those are good.” Lucy shook her head and bit into her apple.

     “Aw, come on! It’s a great soulmate name! We could get it tattooed by our soulmarks!” Garret let out a snort at that. “See! Gare likes it!”

     “Yeah, sure,” Garret said with a chuckle.

     “Even if Garret did like it, there is no way we are calling ourselves ‘Lui,’ let alone tattooing it on our foreheads, _asinus stultissimus.”_

     “What does that one even mean?” Lucy just winked in response. Oli groaned and pouted as he ate the rest of his lunch.

     “You two are strange soulmates, “Garret said.

     “Yes, well, Oli is strange himself, so we didn’t have much of a choice.”

     “Hey!”

     “Anyway, are we hanging out today?”

     “Of course! It’s tradition!”

     “Oli, I was asking Garret.”

     “Oh, right, sorry, dude. We don’t have to if you’d rather not.”

     Garret smiled. “No, it’s ok. Whose house are we going to?”

     “Probably yours, if that’s alright,” Lucy said.

     “Yeah, that’s fine. Aura’s picking Sarah and I up, so you guys can just come home with us.”

     “I’ll have to text my dad, but I’m sure he’ll be fine with it,” Lucy said, pulling out her phone.

     “My mom’s at work so she won’t even know I’m not home.”

     “Shouldn’t you still tell her?” Garret asked.

     “She won’t mind,” Lucy butted in before Oli could respond. Sensing this was a sore subject, Garret backed down. He got out his phone and shot a text to his mom asking if Lucy and Oli, or, Lui, could come over. She replied in a few minutes with a yes.

     “Alright, can you guys meet us in the front after school?”

     “Yupper do!” Oli stretched back in his seat. Lucy rolled her eyes.

     The bell rang. Garret chuckled and got up. “See you guys then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Deodamnatus_ is Latin for dammit  
>  _infernum_ means hell  
>  _asinus stultissimus_ means dumbass


	4. Chapter Three-Uno and Soulmarks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao I accidentally posted this chapter a few weeks before I was supposed to welp

     “Uno!” Oli said with a smug grin on his face.

     “Not so fast, buddy.” Lucy placed her card down on top of his and smiled at him smugly. “Uno.”

     “Well, I suppose we’re not winning this one either.” Garret grinned in response and took his turn after Sarah, his sister, put down her card. It was a draw two.

     “Aw, man!” Oli cried, picking up the two cards from the pile.

     With an excited yell, Lucy threw down her last card. “Third win!”

     Oli sighed and fell onto his back. “How is she good at this? It’s literally all luck.”

     “Not necessarily! You have to have some semblance of a strategy.”

     “Yeah, maybe, but it’s still like 90% luck.”

     “Can we please play something else now?” Sarah complained.

     “Aw, come on, you’re just bitter that you haven’t won,” Oli teased.

     “Yeah, I am! I stink at this game.”

     “Alright, what do you want to play?” Garret asked.

     Sarah shrugged, adjusting her glasses. “I don’t know. Just preferably not this.”

     “Oh! We could play Pictionary!” Lucy suggested, standing. “It’s still in the closet by the front door, right?”

     “Yeah, it’s all the way on the right.” She grinned and went off to retrieve it.

     “Are we doing teams?”

     “Yeah! You and Sarah can be a team, and Lu and I can be the other.”

     “Oh, that’s boring. It should be guys against girls. Besides, you're just trying to get me to carry the team because you know you’re not good at this,” Lucy said as she plopped down next to Sarah with the game.

     “Sounds good to me,” Sarah said with a smile. She scooted closer to Lucy, and Oli, after a roll of his eyes, moved next to Garret. Garret helped Lucy set up the game.

     “Alright, so who’s going first?”

     “I got the game, so we are,” Lucy said, snatching the pad of paper and a pencil. Oli counted down and flipped the timer, making the sand start flowing down. She started drawing quickly. Sarah watched quietly, not even volunteering any guesses.

     “Sarah, you have to guess.”

     “I’m thinking!”

     “Half way done,” Oli said, looking at the timer.

      Lucy just stopped and pointed dramatically at one part of her drawing.

     “Uh, hand?” Lucy shook her head. “Finger?” Another head shake. Sarah looked closer. “What are those lines fo- Oh! Is it waving?”

     “Yes!” Lucy cried.

     “Woah, that was just in time.”

     “Alright, it’s your turn,” Lucy said, passing Sarah the paper.

     She picked a card and got a pencil. “Ready.” Oli started the timer again, and Sarah began drawing. Lucy kept throwing seemingly random words out as guesses, but none of them proved to be correct.

     Just as the timer reached the halfway mark, Lucy yelled, “Abraham Lincoln!”

     Oli groaned as the two girls high-fived. “They’re gonna crush us, man.”

     “Was there ever any doubt?”

     “True.”

     “We don’t necessarily need to play if you guys don’t want to. Besides, Garret still hasn’t told me how his first day of public high school went.”

     Garret shrugged. “It was alright. I liked my English class, and at least I have lunch with Lucy and Oli.”

     “That’s great,” Sarah said with a smile.

     “How was yours, Sarah? You’re a freshman, aren’t you?” Oli asked.

     “Yeah, I am. It was alright. Nothing really remarkable to speak of.”

     “Did you meet anyone?”

     “Not really as of yet. No one that I didn’t know from middle school, anyway.” She stopped and adjusted her glasses again. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stop the game. It’s Lucy’s turn, right?”

     Lucy was about to start drawing the next word, when she noticed something. “Garret, why do you have your soulmark covered?”

     Garret’s hand involuntarily clasped onto his arm where a cloth band covered his soulmark.

     “No reason. I guess I just wanted to cover it for school.”

     “Alright, but you’re not in school now, so…” Oli poked at his arm.

     Garret held his arm closer to his chest. “I-uh-I’m good. I’ll take it off later.”

     Sarah looked at him questioningly.

     “You sure?”

     Garret nodded. “Um, go ahead, Lucy; it’s your turn.

* * *

 

     It was nearing midnight. Lucy and Oli had headed home an hour or so before. Garret was sitting in his room reading, when there was a knock on the door.

     “Yeah?” he called, setting down the book.

     “Hey,” Sarah said as she came in. She closed the door behind her and sat next to him on the bed. “So, what was earlier all about?”

     “Earlier?”

     “Yeah, with your soulmark. You’ve never really had an issue with having it showing in public before.”

     Garret shrugged.

     “That’s not really an answer.”

     He sighed. “Look, I just don’t want to put an emphasis on my soulmark. You now I don’t like the idea of soulmates.”

     “So? The chances of you meeting your soulmate are low, especially if you’re not looking for them, and you know that.”

     Garret just shrugged once again.

     Sarah looked at him suspiciously. “Alright, what is it really?”

     “I don’t want to talk about it.”

     “Ha, I knew it was something. Come on, you know I won’t tell anyone.” Garret looked down. Sarah sighed. “That bad, huh.”

     He nodded. Sarah rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m here, ok? You can’t deal with whatever it is all on your own.”

     Garret sighed. Instead of answering, he slowly unwrapped his arm and held it in front of Sarah.

     Sarah gaped at his soulmark. “It’s blue,” She breathed. “You’re-oh my hera, Garret, you’re going to meet your soulmate this year!”

     Garret looked away and nodded.

     “What’s wrong? Aren’t you excited? This is a huge thing!”

     “I don’t want a soulmate.”

     “…What? Why?”

     Garret pulled his arm back and hugged himself. “I don’t want someone to be forced to like me, whether as friends or something more. I want people to like me because they want to.”

     “Garret, just because you’re soulmates with someone doesn’t mean that they’re not going to like you for you.”

     “But how would they even know if they liked me? How would I know?”

     Sarah’s face fell, and she sighed. “I…I don’t know. But what I do know is that whoever your soulmate is is a lucky person. You’re a special person, Gare.”

     Garret smiled lightly. “Thank you. You are too.”

     Sarah smiled at him and gave him a side hug. “It’s gonna be alright, Garret. No matter what happens, I’ll be right beside you the whole way.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh!! I love writing this sm <3
> 
> [also, shoutout to lois; love ya, cuz :)]


	5. Chapter Four-So This Is Church...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ENTER Jace] :D

     A few weeks had passed since Garret’s conversation with Sarah. Nothing truly out of the ordinary had happened. 

     Garret had been getting used to public school. It was a bit of a tough adjustment, but he was getting by. 

     “Garret! It’s time to go!” his mom yelled up the stairs.

     “Coming!” He grabbed his sketchbook and pencil and ran downstairs. The family rushed to pile in the car. It was Sunday morning, and they were headed to try out a new church. They were Christians and, due to certain issues, had left their previous church.

     Garret was not excited about trying new churches. He was already new to the whole God thing, and the old church had left him with a bad idea of church. However, seeing as this was very important to the rest of the family, he agreed to go, and just decided to bring his sketchbook.

     When they arrived, the first thing Garret noticed was the amount of people and cars in the parking lot. It was obviously a fairly popular church.

     “Alright, come on, Mason gang! This is going to be a good one, I can feel it!” his mom said, getting out of the car with her bag.

     The rest of them got out as well and followed her towards the building. As they went to walk inside, a boy held out his hand and greeted them.

     “Hello! Welcome!” he said, a bright smile on his face.

     “Oh, hello!” Garret’s mom said as she shook his hand. His dad and Sarah shook the boy’s hand as well, but Garret kept his head low and shuffled along next to his sister. Physical contact with a stranger was really not his thing.

     “Gare, buddy, you really should try talking to people you don’t know,” his dad whispered to him as they sat down on one of the pews. Garret shrugged in response. His dad sighed and turned towards the front of the church.

     There were another few minutes until the service officially started, as people continued to hurry in to get seated. Once the flow of people had lessened, music started up and a younger man on the stage in the front was telling people to get up. To his slight surprise, everyone did.

     Lyrics to the song that had started playing were projected up onto the wall. There was a small band on the stage, the man from earlier singing and playing guitar while a girl played the drums, another girl playing the violin, and the boy who had greeted them originally was playing the piano.

     For some reason, Garret took special notice to him. The look of concentration on his face was, for lack of a better word, adorable. Garret shook his head, trying to shake the thought from his mind, causing Sarah to give him a weird look.

     Tearing his attention from the people around him, he tried to focus on the feeling of the gray button-up shirt he wore. Thankfully, due to the long sleeves of his shirt, he didn’t have to worry about covering up his soulmark.

     Ever since his conversation with Sarah a few weeks prior, she hadn’t left him alone about his soulmark. She had tried to get him to even just tell their parents about it, but he refused. They would encourage him to try and find his soulmate. The thought of meeting his soulmate was terrifying enough, but having to actively look for them? He’d pass on that.

     He pulled himself out of his thoughts in time to sit down with the rest of the congregation. The band left the stage, and a man took its place. He was well dressed and polished.

     “Good morning, everyone. We’re glad you could be here with us today. If you’re new, hello, I’m Pastor Miles, and we encourage you to fill out the small card on the end of the pews. Now, today, we’re going to be talking about…”

* * *

 

     “So, what do you think?” Garret’s mom asked Sarah and him.

     “I thought it was good,” Sarah replied. Garret nodded in agreement. Truthfully, he hadn’t really been listening, but he wasn’t going to say that.

     “Alright, cool! Come on, let’s go before we get stuck in the parking lot.”

     The family started to head out of the sanctuary and towards the main doors but stopped when someone came up to them. It was the boy from earlier.

     “Hey! I don’t remember seeing you all before. Is this your first time here?” he asked with the same dorky smile from before.

     “It is, actually. I’m Aura Mason,” Garret’s mom said with a smile.

     “It’s nice to meet you! My name’s Jace. Pastor Miles is my dad.”

     “Your dad’s the pastor?” Sarah blurted out.

     “Yup. It’s not as cool as it might sound,” he said with a short chuckle. “Um, anyway, the church has a lunch thing after the service at the end of every month, and you’re welcome to join.”

     Sarah and Garret exchanged nervous glances.

     “Oh, we’d love to, but we should probably head home. Thank you for the invite.”

     “Gotcha. Well, I hope to see you guys back again!” Jace stepped out of their way with a smile and a nod. He met Garret’s eyes as he passed him and looked at Garret like he was a confusing spectacle.

     As Garret climbed into the car, he found himself being pulled back. He felt like he was on a leash, and the one holding the other end was tugging hard. His arm ached. Popping his headphone in his ears, he tried to ignore it with music. It was probably just a fluke… right?

 


	6. Chapter Five-I Should’ve Stayed in Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jeez, surgery is a fuckin trip
> 
> shoutout to beyondmythoughts for helping me have even a smidge of a will to live lmao. also she’s just an amazing person so yeah ilyyyy

     Two days later, Garret was a walking zombie in school. He had made it to biology, and was ready to collapse and take a nap. He had gotten barely any sleep the night prior. His brain wouldn’t shut up about his soulmate. Not only that, but his arm had been uncomfortable since Sunday, and, for some reason, his soulmark was more sensitive than usual.

     He trudged to his desk and toppled into his seat, dangling his arm at his side, haphazardly holding his backpack.

     “Long night?” a voice behind him said. He looked up to see Jace, the boy from church.

     “Uh, yeah, I guess,” Garret replied.

     “You should try youth group; it’s on Wednesday nights at 6:30. It’s a lot of fun.” Jace smiled at him encouragingly.

     “Yeah, maybe.”

     “Well, hope to see you there!” Jace smiled again before heading to his own desk.

     If he was being honest, youth group seemed like the last thing Garret would want to do. He figured he’d mention it to Sarah anyway just in case she wanted to go. If they both went, it wouldn’t be as bad.

     He supposed that it might be good for him to meet some new people, but he didn’t really want to. Lucy, Oli, and Sarah were all the friends he needed.

     Garret sighed and sat up as Mr. Vinetta locked the door, and class began.

* * *

 

     Garret sighed as he plopped down next to Lucy.

     “Woah, what’s up with you?” Oli asked.

     Garret groaned as he laid his head on the table. “I haven’t slept in two days and my arm hasn’t left me alone.”

     “Wait, what?”

     “What’s wrong with your arm?” Lucy asked, growing concerned.

     Garret hesitated before holding his arm out to her and unwrapping the cloth from over his soulmark. He heard Oli gasp.

     “You’re meeting your soulmate?” he shrieked.

     “Shh! I don’t need the whole school knowing!” Garret, hissed, shooting up in his seat.

     Oli winced. “Sorry, my bad.”

     “Why didn’t you tell us?”

     Garret shrugged and slid back down to lean on the table.

      “You don’t seem to excited,” Oli pointed out.

     Garret shrugged again. After momentary hesitance, he looked over at him and asked, “How do you know that you two are close because you care about each other and not just because you have matching marks?”

     Oli took a deep breath. “Man, that’s a tough question to be milling over.” He sighed and leaned back in his seat again. A seriousness settled on his face, a kind that Garret had never seen on him before.

     “I used to wonder the same thing. I even ignored Lu for a few months because of it.” Lucy nodded in affirmation. “Then, my dad said something to me. He said that if Lucy and I were only as close as we were because we were soulmates, than why would we even be soulmates?

     “The way I see it, you’re soulmates _because_ you’re close. Just because you’re soulmates before you get that close, you’re not being fake close. Ya know?”

     Garret gaped at him for a moment. “Wow, Oli, that was actually pretty deep.”

     Oli shrugged. “It can happen sometimes. Not often, but sometimes.” Lucy playfully shoved his shoulder.

     “Well, thanks.” Garret gave him a small smile.

     “Do you think you’re going to try to find them?”

     Garret shook his head. “If it’s gonna happen, it’s just gonna happen. I’m not making it sooner than it has to be.”

     “That’s understandable. Do you think they’re going to be a romantic soulmate?” Lucy asked.

     “What? How would I know? I haven’t eve met them yet.”

     “Yeah, but some people say they can feel it before they even meet their soulmate,” Oli added.

     “Well, I don’t, and I’d rather stop talking about this.”

     Oli and Lucy exchanged looks. “Alright, sorry.”

     “So, how was the new church?” Oli asked in an obvious attempt to dismiss the awkwardness.

     Garret shrugged. “It was alright.”

     “Did they have a lot of other teens?”

     “I guess.”

     Lucy sighed. “Would you rather talk about it later?”

     Garret paused before nodding.

     “Alright. Sorry.”

     Oli and Lucy went on to talk about some tv show that they were both invested in as Garret sat there. He was listening a bit, but mostly the conversation was hazy and lost on him.

     His mind was elsewhere, caught up in thoughts of his soulmate. The idea of soulmates was strange to him. The thought that there was someone just right for you made no sense. How does the universe, or whatever, know who your perfect match is? Why would it care? Why should he care?

     Garret sighed. He wished he was home. He wished his soulmark had never pulsed. He wished he never had a soulmate. Alas, he didn’t have a choice in any of those.

* * *

 

     Garret let Sarah sit in the front seat on their way home. The front seat was often the hot seat for Aura’s questions, and he didn’t want to have to deal with that at the moment. 

     They both seemed to get the memo and let him be. He popped in his headphones and scrolled through the music on his phone. None of the songs that he usually loved were standing out. Finally, he just played [Friendly Dark by Ollie MN. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRPFXeWXEMQ)The song was one of his calming ones, one he’d often listen to to fall asleep or to help keep him from a panic attack. Today, however, it didn’t seem to help. He still felt sort of empty. He didn’t know why.

     When they got home, he headed straight for his room. His arm was growing increasingly uncomfortable under the wrap on his soulmark. Once he got the wrap finally off, he looked at his arm to see if there was a rash or something. There was nothing there but his ever-daunting soulmark.

     Tossing the wrap on his bookcase with a groan, he flopped onto his bed. _Maybe I’m going crazy,_ he thought. He sighed and got up, getting out his homework. He supposed he should finish it before the ride to school this time.

* * *

 

     A little while later, math was proving to be the bane of Garret’s existence. He understood negatives just fine, but why was the dynamic different just because they were in parenthesis? He didn’t understand why it had to be so confusing.

     “Dinner time,” Sarah called through the door, cutting through his frustrated mumblings.

     “Be right down,” Garret replied, immediately closing his text book and notebook. He would have to deal with that mess later. 

     He headed downstairs to join the family at the table.

     "Hey, bud," his mom said with a smile.

     He smiled and nodded in response as she brought over a bowl of green beans and sat down. They prayed and started eating. Garret’s mom asked the two how their days were, and Sarah talked about things she was working on in class.

     After a little while, their mom put down her fork and rested her elbows on the table, folding her hands in front of her face. To most people, this would be an ordinary occurrence, but Garret and Sarah knew otherwise. This was their mom’s way of telling them to listen up.

     “So, we didn’t get to talk about the church much yet.”

     “I thought it was nice,” Sarah volunteered.

     “What did you think, Garret?”

     Garret shrugged, pushing around the last bit of food on his plate. “It was good.”

     There was a pause. “Care to elaborate?” Aura asked with a smile that cemented the fact that she would not be giving up on this conversation.

    Garret reluctantly put down his fork and flicked his gaze from her to the table. “The sermon was interesting.”

     “What stuck out to you most?” his father, Corey, asked.

     “Uh, nothing really, in particular.”

     Aura sighed. “Alright, well, what did you think of the people? That boy, uh, Jason? Jay?”

     “Jace,” Garret muttered.

     “Right! He seemed nice.”

     “Yeah, I guess. Can I go?”

     Aura sighed again. “Yes, but, please, do put thought into this. We want to be in agreement before we settle on a particular church, ok?”

     “I don’t mind if you make the decision without me.”

     “Well, we do. You’re family now, Garret. You get just as much of a say as the rest of us, ok?” Garret nodded. Aura smiled. “Ok. Go ahead, but remember, think about it. I’ve heard they have a pretty good youth group, too.”

      Garret nodded in acknowledgement before heading upstairs. If he was being honest, he didn’t want to go to church. The people were nice enough; that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that he didn’t know where he stood. When he had first come into the Masons’ home, he had felt obligated to participate in what they believed in, simply to please them, but now that he was being given a choice, he didn’t know.

     He sighed and flopped down on his bed. Maybe he should at least try going. Who knows, maybe he would learn to believe as they did. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. There were, however, downsides to going. By increasing the places to which he went, he would also be increasing the chances of meeting his soulmate. Well, meeting them faster, anyway. He had no chance of not meeting them.

     He groaned. It was all so twisted in his mind. He wished life would be straight forward for once.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> question of the chapter: what song do you listen to when you can’t sleep?
> 
> next chapter:
> 
> brooke's introduction [you'll know her if you follow my Instagram @awkwardly_living or my pinterest @rory nighthawk ;)]
> 
> youth group!


	7. Chapter Six-Thanks, Anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so thanks to a bunch of help from my beta reader/editor [beyondmythoughts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyondmythoughts/pseuds/beyondmythoughts), I ended up getting rid of a lot of unnecessary ish. because of that, the original chapter six was too short and was tacked on to the end of chapter five. so yeah, go check out chap 5 for that.

     A week went by. Garret’s soulmark had remained as sensitive as ever with no obvious reason. On top of that, his parents were making Sarah and him try out the youth group that night. Needless to say, he was not having a good day.

     By the end of the school day, he was already ready to just go to bed. His parents, of course, would not have that. He supposed one visit to the youth group wouldn’t be absolutely horrible, but, of course, it could be. The anxiety didn’t seem to start building until he was sat in the car, shrinking into his hoodie.

     “Hey,” Sarah said softly. He turned to face her. She gave him a small smile and said, “We’ll do this together, ok? Besides, it could be fun.”

     Garret nodded and smiled back. He was certainly thankful that he wouldn’t be going into this alone.

     “Alright, here we are!” Aura said, stopping the car in front of the front doors of the church. “Now, remember, you can call us at any point and we’ll come pick you two up, ok?”

     Sarah and Garret nodded in acknowledgement. They got out of the car and headed inside.

* * *

 

     “Ok, we’re lost.”

     Sarah sighed. “How hard is it to find a whole youth group?”

     “Need some help?” The two Masons spun around in surprise. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you guys,” Jace said, a sheepish look on his face.

     “Uh, it’s alright,” Sarah said. Garret shrunk deeper into his hoodie, gaze flicking from the ground to Jace and back again.

     “You’re looking for the youth group, right?” Sarah nodded. “Well, in that case, follow me, newbies,” Jace said with a smile walking past them. The two followed. “It’s good to see you guys. I’m sure you’re going to love it here.”

     “How many people come?” Sarah asked.

     “Probably about twenty? It changes a lot.”

     Sarah looked over at Garret. He supposed she was worried about him, but he was just grateful that there weren’t as many kids as he had originally expected.

     They heard the group first. There was a lot of laughter and yelling. Garret unwittingly grabbed the sleeve of Sarah’s flannel shirt.

     “Here it is,” Jace said with a smile, standing by the open door of the room.

     The noise and movement of everyone was immediately overwhelming. Garret kept his gaze fixed to the ground, hand grasping onto Sarah’s sleeve.

     “Are you ok?” Jace asked quietly. Garret nodded, glancing up at him.

     “It’s just loud,” Sarah answered for him. She looked uncomfortable as well.

     “Once lessons start, it’ll calm down a bit.”

     “Jace! Come look at what Devon did this time!” a guy called over.

     “Oh gosh,” Jace muttered. “Devon’s the resident dingus. Come on, I’ll introduce you guys.”

     “Oh, no it’s-“

     A shriek interrupted Sarah. Garret jumped, eyes blown wide.

     “Guys! Chill out,” Jace said with a laugh, walking towards the group.

     “Are you ok?” Sarah whispered. Garret nodded, letting go of her sleeve to pick at his own. “Remember, we can go whenever, ok?” He nodded again. Sarah smiled sympathetically before leading them towards the wall where a smaller group sat.

     “Mind if we join you?” she asked.

     A girl with long white-dyed hair looked up at her and smiled. “Of course! Here,” she said, moving her things. 

     “Thanks.” Sarah smiled at her, sitting down. Garret followed, still picking at the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

     “I’m Brooke.”

     “I’m Sarah, and this is my brother Garret.”

     Brooke smiled. “You two new then?”

     “That we are.”

     “Here’s a warning then: stay away from Devon. If anyone is going to send you to the hospital with a broken bone, it’s that dumbass.”

     “Brooke! Language!” a girl behind her scolded.

     Brooke rolled her eyes. “Oh, come off it. It’s not like we’re kids anymore.”

     Brooke had been about to say something else, but a man walked in to the room, and everyone more or less quieted down.

     “Good evening, everyone!”

     “Aye, Pastor Kyle! Come look what Devon did!” a kid called out.

     The pastor sighed and shook his head. “Oh dear, what now?”

     “He’s the youth pastor,” Brooke whispered to Sarah and Garret. “He’s a bit of a doofus, but he’s a good guy.”

     Garret nudged Sarah, a confused look on his face. She raised an eyebrow in return, so as to ask him what he needed. He opened his mouth to speak but just sighed and closed it again.

     “Would typing it work?” Sarah asked quietly. Garret perked up and nodded, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

     _> i thought the pastors name was miles_

     “Most churches have multiple pastors filling different positions.” Garret nodded in acknowledgment.

     After Pastor Kyle had saved Devon from whatever predicament the teen had found himself in, he gathered everyone to the back of the room, sitting in a half circle.

     A lot of the teens had to retrieve their Bibles or other various items, and Garret took the opportunity to sit with Sarah farther in the back.

     “Mind if I sit here?” Jace asked, startling Garret. Garret shook his head and scooched over a bit to make room. Jace smiled and sat next to him.

     Garret suddenly became extremely aware of himself. He became even more aware of the throbbing in his arm. The discomfort his soulmark was causing him kept increasing, and he had no idea why.

     As the lesson went on, Garret grew more and more restless. He would have drawn, in fact he had brought his sketchbook for that reason, but he didn’t dare to in front of someone. If it had just been Sarah next to him, it wouldn’t have mattered, but he didn’t want Jace to think that he just blatantly wasn’t listening.

     Therefore, uncomfortably, he sat. The pastor was talking about the apparent horrors of social media, and some of the other teens nodded and hummed in agreement while others, especially Brooke, scoffed.

     “Brooke? Something to add?” Pastor Kyle said, clearly unhappy with the interruption.

     “Social media isn’t bad. Some people use it in a bad way, but it can be good. You can meet people you never would be able to otherwise,” she said.

     “Yeah, and you can use it to find your soulmate,” a boy said with a dopey smile, arm around a girl that Garret assumed was the aforementioned soulmate.

     “Now, that’s an excellent point, you two. Is it worth it to use the internet like that to find your soulmate?”

     “Of course it is,” Jace spoke up.

     “Think about this for a second. We all know there are quite a few predators on the internet, right?” Some people nodded. “Well, wouldn’t there be some on those websites too?”

     “I guess,” someone mumbled.

     “Do you still think it’s smart to be on them where the whole point is to share personal information?”

     “But meeting your soulmate is a rare thing already; what’s wrong with upping your chances to meet them?”

     “Nothing,” Pastor Kyle said, clapping his hands together. “It’s just hard to keep yourself safe when, again, the websites require so much information.” Some people nodded in agreement, and others looked doubtful.

     “Alright, how about this; let’s take a vote. Raise your hand if you think it’s worth risking things like your address, full name, age, and phone number to meet your soulmate.”

     Jace’s hand was the first one up. A few others joined his. Garret’s and Sarah’s remained down.

     Garret knew Sarah’s view on soulmates and first meetings. She wanted her first meeting to be natural, and by chance, if it ever happened.

     Garret noticed that Brooke didn’t raise her hand either. He was a bit surprised.

     “Now, raise your hand if you think it’s not worth the risk,” Pastor Kyle said.

     Sarah, Brooke, and a few other people raised their hands. Garret didn’t.

     Just to his luck, the pastor noticed his absence from the vote.

     “Hey, you in the back, what’s your name?” he asked.

     Garret pointed to himself to clarify who he was talking about. The pastor nodded in affirmation. Garret groaned inwardly. So much for a low profile. He turned to Sarah for help.

     “His name’s Garret,” Sarah said for him.

     “Garret? Well, firstly, welcome, and secondly, why didn’t you participate in the vote?”

     Garret shrugged.

     Pastor Kyle raised an eyebrow. At that point, Garret noticed people looking at him strangely. Whether it was because he was new or because of his refusal to talk, it didn’t matter. He knew what he needed to do.

     “I, uh, don’t re-really have an opinion,” he forced out, voice quiet.

     “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. What did you say?”

     Sarah went to reply for Garret, but Jace jumped in first.

     “He said that he doesn’t really have an opinion.” Jace smiled at Garret, and something odd clicked in Garret’s mind, almost like the first of many locks on a door.

* * *

 

     “Hey, uh, are you ok? I noticed you really don’t like to talk,” Jace said later, having met [or, more accurately, waited for] Garret in the hallway.

     Garret shrugged in reply.

      Jace’s face grew red. “Oh, I’m stupid. Asking you why you don’t like to talk while making you talk in order to answer doesn’t really work, huh.” He smiled awkwardly.

     Garret held up a finger and pulled out his phone, starting a new note.

     _> too many people_

     Jace read the message. “Ah, I get you. If it would be easier, we could hang out here for a bit.”

     Garret shook his head but smiled slightly.

     “Ok, but if you do need to get out or anything, let me know, ok?”

     Garret nodded.

     Sarah cleared her throat, drawing attention to her presence. “Mom’s here,” she said. Garret nodded and gave a small wave to Jace as he followed Sarah to the car.

     Garret let Sarah sit in the front seat, being content to settle against the door in the back.

     “So? How was it?” Aura asked.

     “It was alright, actually,” Sarah said.

     “That’s great, hun! How was it for you, bud?”

     Garret shrugged, letting out a soft grunt.

     “There was a lot of people, and it was a bit loud,” Sarah explained.

     “Mm, I was worried about that. Sorry, bud.”

     He shrugged again. Youth group had certainly been stressful and had caused his anxiety to skyrocket, but he felt drawn back there. He supposed one more try wouldn’t kill him. Then again, maybe it would be easier if it did.

     “He made a friend, though,” Sarah said, breaking into his thoughts.

     Aura grinned and looked back at him for a moment. “Did he now?”

     “Mhm. Do you remember the guy we met on Sunday?”

     “Jay?”

     “Jace,” Garret muttered, the name slipping out of his mouth without a thought.

     The car was silent for a moment. Usually, when Garret stopped talking, it took him at least a few hours, sometimes days, to be able to speak again.

     “Wow, he must quite the friend,” Aura teased.

     Garret rolled his eyes and curled into his sweatshirt more, looking through the window.

     “I’m proud of you two. I know you didn’t really want to go all that much, but I’m glad you at least tried it.”

     “I’m glad we did too,” Sarah said. She leaned around the seat and looked back at Garret. “Gare is too.” He gave her a small smile.

     Garret tuned the other two out as they continued talking. Now that he was out of that anxiousness, something was becoming increasingly obvious. He grimaced from pain as he put pressure on his soulmark. It was getting worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter:
> 
> Garret begins to seriously question the pain in his arm  
> Dad and son time :)


	8. Chapter Seven-Everyone's On My Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second upload attempt because ao3 hasn't liked me very much lately. currently, I can saythe feeling is mutual.
> 
> thank you again to my lovely editor, lois/beyondmythoughts!! <333

     Up in his room later that night, Garret tried googling his problem. So far, he hadn’t had much luck, and typing was certainly not helping the pain.

     All of the websites he saw were about soulmates’ first meeting, and he hadn’t had that yet. If he had, he certainly didn’t know about it.

     Maybe it wasn’t connected to his soulmark. Maybe the placement of the pain was just a coincidence.

     No. It had to be something. Maybe his past mistake had come back to haunt him. Maybe he was finally paying for the black scar through the middle of his mark.

     He rubbed his eyes with his palms, resting his face in his hands.

     A knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts.

     “Hey, can I?” Corey, his adopted dad asked said, opening the door a sliver. As Garret nodded, he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

     Corey leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. “So, what’s going on?”

     Garret shrugged, shaking his head so as to reply, “nothing.”

     “Kiddo, I’m a social worker. I know when someone’s lying.”

     Garret looked down, not able to argue with that.

     “You know, you don’t have to go to church with us if you’re not comfortable to do so.”

     Garret looked up at him, a bit surprised.

     “Bud, we may be Christians, but we’re not going to force you to be one too. That’s not how religion should work.”

     Garret nodded, trying for a smile.

     It must not have worked, as Corey continued, “But, I’m guessing that’s not the reason for your distress. You don’t have to tell me, but I’m here to listen, or help, or whatever. Alright?”

     Garret took a deep breath, looking away. He knew he couldn’t deal with this alone. He knew he could ask for Sarah’s or his friends’ help, but they would just go to the same place as he did- the internet.

     Corey, on the other hand, dealt with crazy stuff connected to soulmates in his job.

     Garret sighed, braced himself as he thrust his arm over to show Corey.

     “What- oh.”

     Garret brought his arm back to rest in his lap, looking down at his desk.

     It felt like ages passed before Corey spoke. “So, Meeting your soulmate, huh?”

     Garret nodded.

     “Do you want to talk about it?”

     He shrugged.

     After a moment, Corey pushed himself away from the desk and said, “I’ll be right back, ok?”

     Garret nodded as he left. He saved the websites he had been reading for later and closed his laptop. Stretching, he got up and sat on his bed, looking down at the blue lines on his arm. He traced the farthest lines from the center of his soulmark. Wincing, he drew his arm away.

     Garret’s finger hovered over the black line that tainted the center of his soulmark, but the moment his finger even grazed it, he yelped and pulled back immediately.

     “You ok, bud?” Corey asked, coming into the room.

      Garret’s head jerked up, startled before composing himself and nodding.

      “Here,” Corey said with a smile, handing him a glass.

     Garret raised an eyebrow before looking in. A small smile appeared on his face, and he took a sip of the vanilla milkshake.

     “Can I sit?”

     Garret nodded and scooched over a bit.

     Corey sat next to him and lifted his glass towards Garret’s. Their glasses clinked together in a traditional cheer.

     “So, soulmate, huh? Did you meet them yet?”

     Garret look at him, confused. Holding up his arm, he tried to point out the fact that he had yet to have a name intertwined in his soulmark.

     Corey shrugged. “You can meet them without having your official ‘first meeting.’”

     Garret still looked confused. “B-but,” he said, voice small and a bit raspy. “What-how-“

     “Well, technically your ‘first meeting’ doesn’t happen until you two touch. So, you could have met them already without even knowing.”

     “Wha-what would happen if you met them before, uh, that?”

     Corey sighed and took a drink of his milkshake. “I’m not completely sure, to be honest. I have heard that sometimes the soul’s longing for its mate can cause the person’s soulmark to discolored, or even painful.”

     Garret looked down at his floor, trying to process the new information.

     “I think I met my soulmate,” he said quietly after a while.

     “I kind of figured something of the sort was happening. You’re not as subtle as you think with those anxious tics of yours.”

     “What do I do? How do I get this to stop?”

     “It’s not going to stop until your first meeting.”

     Garret sighed, twisting the glass in his hands. “I’m scared,” he said, nearly inaudibly.

     Corey set their glasses down on his nightstand before gently pulling the boy to his side. “I know, bud, I know. It’ll be alright. You’ll be alright.”

 

     Garret was relieved to finally collapse in a chair at lunch. Lucy was already at their usual table.

     “How was youth group?” she asked.

     Garret shrugged. “It was loud.”

     “Mm, that must’ve been tough.”

     He shrugged again. “It wasn’t too bad. Sarah liked it.”

     Lucy smiled. “That’s good. You think you’ll go back again?”

     “I don’t know. Maybe.”

     Someone behind Garret cleared their throat. “Hey, mind if I join?”

     Garret looked up to see Jace standing next to him, tray in hand.

     “Uh, sure,” he said, shifting a bit in his seat so he wasn’t slouching as much. He threaded his fingers together, nervously playing with them under the table.

     “Thanks,” Jace said with a smile, sitting next to him. “I’m Jace a friend of Garret’s,” he said to Lucy.

     She shot a quizzical look towards Garret before smiling “I’m Lucy. Nice to meet you.”

     “Ooo, introductions!” A new voice broke into the conversation. Oli grinned at the newcomer to the table and sat at his usual spot next to his soulmate. “Howdy do! I’m Oli.”

     “I’m Jace.” He said with a smile.

     “So where do you know Garret from?” Lucy asked, hands folded in front of her as if she was preparing to interrogate him.

     “Church, actually. His family just started coming.”

     “Hm, so you go to the youth group then too, right?”

     “Lucy,” Garret grumbled, hiding his face in his hand.

     “Yeah, I do. You know, we meet every Wednesday at 6:30 if you’d like to come,” Jace said with a smile.

     “I think I’ll pass, but thanks for the offer.”

     “What’s up with the arm thing?” Oli asked.

     Garret’s head hit the table as he wished he could sink into the floor. Of all people, he should have expected Oli to jump on the interrogation bandwagon.

     “Oh, this?” Jace said, holding up his right arm. He had a black brace that ran from the middle of his palm almost to his elbow. “I play basketball and mess my wrist up a lot. It’s just to give my arm some added support.”

     “Oh, coolio,” Oli said, going back to his food.

     Jace took the opportunity to bow his head and prayed silently before digging into his own lunch.

     “Hey, Gare, did Lu tell you that we’re planning on having a day out at the mall and stuff on Saturday?” Oli asked.

     “No. Sounds cool, hope you guys have fun.”

     “Dude, no, I’m asking if you wanna come. Sarah’s invited too, of course.”

     “Uh, depends where you’re going.”

     “First off, I want to check out the thrift shop for a skirt and maybe a jacket. Otherwise wherever pretty much.”

     “Uh, no, we’re stopping in to Barnes and Noble too,” Lucy interjected.

     “Right, right. Oh, and Jace, you’re invited too if you want to come. Any friend of Gare’s is a friend of mine,” Oli said.

     “Oh, thanks,” Jace said with a smile. He looked a bit confused, but Garret supposed that it was just from the impromptu invitation.

     “So? Bud? You down?” Oli asked, folding his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his chair.

     Garret shrugged. “Sure, why not. Sarah and Corey are doing something on Saturday, so she won’t be able to come.”

     “Boys’ day out then!”

     Lucy cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow. Oli paused and realized why she was looking at him like that.

     “Oh, duh. Boys’ and Lucy’s day out!”

     Garret sighed, and Lucy facepalmed, both being used to Oli’s antics.

     To Garret’s surprise, Jace laughed. “You guys are great,” he said with a grin. “I’d love to come if you truly don’t mind.”

     “The more the merrier!” Oli said, throwing his arms out. His hand grazed the side of Lucy’s head. “Oop, sorry, Lu.”

     She took a deep breath. “Oliver Randy Kalus, I will throw you off the roof.”

     “Ooo, I made her angry,” Oli said in a sing-song voice.

     “You might want to cover your ears,” Garret muttered to Jace, hunkering down with his hands already over his ears.

     “Ok, that’s it. _Futue te ipsi,_ you _caput stercons_ ,” Lucy shouted.

     Oli was laughing hysterically, much to Lucy’s chagrin.

     “You’re going to be the death of me,” she muttered.

     Later that night, Garret was sitting in bed, talking with Lucy and Oli via their group chat.

 

     Lucy  
     _So, Jace, huh?_

_what about him?_

The Pretty One  
_Do u liiiike hiiiiimmmm???_

Lucy  
_So much for subtlety._

_what???_

_where did this come from??_

The Pretty One _  
__Oh, come on, we aaall saw it_

_saw what??_

Lucy  
_You don’t like at just anyone like you looked at him, Garret._

The Pretty One  
_So? Do u like him?_

 

     Garret took a minute to reply. The question had thrown him off-guard, but somewhere inside him he knew that he’d been asking himself that question already.

 

_…_

_i don’t know…_

The Pretty One  
_What do u mean_

_i don’t know!_

_i’ve never felt this way before_

_he… fascinates me ig._

  

  Garret facepalmed.

     “He fascinates me? So… stupid!” he spat out at himself.

The Pretty One  
_Wait uve never liked anyone before?? Ashbiahfb dude no wonder ur confused_

Lucy  
_I’m obviously not the best person to talk to about this, but from what I’ve seen and heard, I wouldn’t be surprised. Obviously, I’ve only known you for a year or so, but I’ve never seen you let someone in this quickly._

_yeah…_

_im gonna go to bed. see you tomorrow._

 

     Garret turned off his phone, plugging it in. He lay back on his bed, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to his ceiling.

     Did he like him? He didn’t know. Hell, he didn’t even know if he was gay.

     Shaking his head, he turned on his side and forced himself to close his eyes. He really did not want to be thinking about this when there was no way that Jace liked him, and there was absolutely no way that he would say anything to Jace about it, even if he did eventually figure out his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucy's latin translation:  
> "Futue te ipsi, you caput stercons,” = "f you, you shithead,"
> 
> question of the chapter: favorite online comics? mine's strange planet!! ngl I got a shirt from it at hot topic yesterday
> 
> next chapter: the mall! expect it on August 30th :)


	9. Chapter Eight-Where's Waldo-Barnes and Noble Edition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updates might start being a bit late because of the start of school, and things of the like. sorry about that.

     The week passed fairly quickly, the anticipated outing on Saturday coming up. The four friends, Oli, Lucy, Jace, and Garret, were planning to meet at the fountain in the middle of the mall.

     When Garret reached the fountain, however, none of the others were there. Assuming that they had just not arrived yet, he sat on one of the benches and mindlessly played a random game on his phone.

     He sat criss-cross, not minding his converse digging into his thighs. He thought about putting the hood of his sweatshirt up, but he wanted to be sure that the others would recognize him.

     He was just about to start his third game of 2048 when someone walked up to him. He looked up to see Jace standing in front of him.

     “Hey, I hope I’m not late,” he said.

     Garret shook his head. “You’re right on time.”

     Jace sat next to hm and looked around. “I guess the others aren’t here yet, huh?”

     Garret shook his head. “I'll text them."

 

_where are you guys?_

Lucy  
_Faex, sorry, we’re in Barnes and Noble. Come meet us there._

     “They’re in Barnes and Nobles. Lucy said we might as well just meet them there,” Garret said, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

     “Sounds good to me! I hope you know where that is, because I don’t know that I’ve ever been here,” Jace said, getting up.

     Garret got up and went over to a sign that looked like a map of the mall. “It should be on here.”

     It was not, in fact, on there. At least, not that either of them could see.

     “Why don’t we ask the security guy?” Jace suggested.

     “Uh, why don’t you do that, and I’ll look over this again.”

     Jace raised an eyebrow, but shrugged, going over to the “help” desk. 

     A minute later, he came back over. “He said it’s over by the smoothie bar.”

     “Which one?”

     “Wait, there’s more than one?”

     Garret nodded, pointing the three out. One was in the food court, and the boys ruled that one out.

     It was a toss-up between the other two. The worst part was that they were on complete opposite sides of the mall.

     “We could ask?” Jace suggested.

     “I’ll, uh, I’ll just text Oli. Knowing him, he probably got a smoothie before going in to the store.”

     Unfortunately, Oli didn’t reply.

     “Why don’t we try this” Jace pointed out one of the smoothie places out on the map, “place first? Besides, there’s a pet store near it!” He squinted and looked closer. “At least, I think that’s what that is. Jeez, this thing’s confusing.”

     Garret nodded in agreement. He shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

     “Yay! Now, which way is it?”

     A little bit and a bit of head scratching later, the two were off. Jace was doing his best to lead them around, and Garret was perfectly content to follow. They stopped in a few stores on their way. Jace seemed excited that there was a small store that sold Gatorade for as cheap as it did.

     [“Is two dollars a bottle really that cheap?”

     “Dude! They’re normally like five dollars!”]

     Finally, they reached the smoothie shop. It was near one of the entrances to the mall, and right next to a big clothing store. However, there didn’t seem to be a Barnes and Noble.

     “Guess we chose the wrong one,” Garret said, fidgeting with the end of his sleeve.

     “Hey, at least there’s puppies!” Jace grinned and headed into the pet store across from the smoothie shop. Garret smiled and followed.

     “Oh my gosh, it’s so cute,” Jace said as Garret reached him. He was eyeing a small black dog lying in one of the cages.

     Garret smiled at Jace, the look on his face being the cute thing.

     Jace noticed his gaze. “What?”

     “Oh, um, nothing, sorry.”

     “Oh, come on, I don’t have something on my face, do I?” he rubbed his palms over his cheeks.

     “No, sorry, you’re fine.” Garret stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “We should probably find the others.”

     Jace looked at him confusedly. “Yeah, right, sure.”

     They walked back to the center of the mall where they started mostly in silence.

     Jace glanced at Garret every few moments. He noticed, but pretended not to. If Lucy and Oli were right, and he really did like Jace, he really didn’t need to be outing himself like that. He supposed they were right on one case; Garret certainly didn’t look at people like that typically.

     He sighed This was the last thing he needed to be thinking of at the moment.

     “Are you ok?” Jace asked, most likely mistaking the reason for the sigh.

     “Hm? Oh, ye-yeah, sorry.”

     Jace smiled. “It’s ok; you just got quiet really suddenly there.”

     “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

     “Gar, bud, it’s ok,” he grinned, and went to put his hand on Garret’s shoulder. Garret jumped back, eyes wide.

     “Sorry! I’m-I-I’m sorry,” Garret said, voice growing quiet. He shrunk into his sweatshirt, not daring to look up.

     “Hey, it’s ok. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

     Garret shrugged. Jace didn’t reply or try to touch him again.

     A moment later, he said, “Hey, you like art, right?”

     “How-how’d you know that?”

     “I’ve seen you doodle sometimes in class. By the way, your face scrunches up when you’re concentrating, and it’s frankly adorable,” Jace said with a laugh.

     Garret felt his face grow warm.

     “Anyway, look!” he pointed towards a store a few feet from them.

     The window was full of different high-end art supplies that Garret only dreamed of having. 

     His jaw dropped. He started towards the store, before looking back at his friend.

     “We can go if you want,” Jace reassured him.

     A smile broke out on Garret’s face and he led them inside. 

     The store was cozy, with soft music playing over the speakers. Instead of the mall’s usual blinding fluorescent lights, there were hanging lanterns, making the place almost feel reminiscent of a cabin.

     “Hello! Feel free to let me know if you need help with anything,” a girl said as she carried a rather heavy looking box past them. Garret nodded in reply, admittedly distracted.

     “What kind of stuff do you like the most?” Jace asked.

     “Paints, if I have enough time to use them.” Garret wandered into the last aisle.

     “Aw, look!”

     Garret turned to see Jace holding up a small stuffed bear in front of his face.

     “It’s so cute!”

     Garret smiled. It certainly was cute. The boy holding it, however, was the cutest.

     Jace put the bear back. “Do you want to get anything?”

     Garret shrugged. “It’s probably cheaper online.”

     “Ah, yeah, probably. In that case, let me get you something!” Jace grabbed something that Garret didn’t have a chance to see before he tugged on Garret’s sleeve and pulled him with him.

     “You don’t have to get me anything!” Garret called after him, taking back his arm in favor to follow his friend himself.

     Jace turned to say, “I know, but that’s the fun part! I wanna get you something.” He smiled before turning back to the counter at the front of the store.

     “Found something?” The girl from earlier looked up from her paperwork.

     “Yup,” Jace replied, handing her something. It was the stuffed bear from earlier.

     “The bear?” Garret questioned quietly.

     “Mhm! He’s yours on one condition.”

     Garret cocked an eyebrow. The girl behind the counter smiled as she rang it up.

     “I get to name him.”

     Garret chuckled. “Deal.”

     Jace grinned and gave the girl the money owed.

     “Here you go,” she said, handing him the bear in a plastic bag. “You two are cute.”

     Jace looked a bit confused, but thanked her anyway as the two boys made their way out of the store.

     The stopped outside of the store, and Jace gave the bear to Garret who took it with a smile.

     “So, what’s his name?” The two started walking again.

     “Beary McStein,” Jace said completely seriously.

     Garret burst out laughing.

     “What? It’s an accurate name!”

     “Ok, ok, Beary McStein it is.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> question of the chapter: who's your favorite artist? mine's probably animatorroseoak on Instagram.
> 
> next chapter:  
> they finally meet up with lui  
> oli refuses to leave the two alone about their "obvious chemistry"


	10. Chapter Nine-Oli Is A Complete Dork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet yeet hellooooo

     “Jeez, where are those lovebirds?” Oli complained.

     “Be patient, you dork; I’m trying to help you find a new book,” Lucy replied.

     “Aw, c’mon, I don’t need a book. Why don’t we just go meet them?”

     “You do need a book or my dad is going to get on your back about it again.”

     Oli groaned. “At least pick a good one.”

     “When have I ever not?”

     Oli gave her a look. “ _1984.”_

“Excuse you, that book is amazing.”

     Oli rolled his eyes. “Where was the romance? The cute kisses? I can’t keep throwing myself into fanfiction that’s usually a disaster of out of character characters, you know.”

     Lucy sighed, moving on to another shelf. “What about this one?”

     He looked over her shoulder, looking at the book in her hand. “Aw, the cover’s cute!”

     The aforementioned cover had two characters on it, one of which was resting their head on the other’s back.

     “What’s it called?”

     Lucy rolled her eyes and pointed to the large printed title on the cover.

     “Oh,” Oli said bashfully. “ _I Wish You All The Best._ Aw, that sounds so cute! I’m getting it.” He snatched the book from her hands, leaving Lucy standing there, bewildered.

     “Shouldn’t you see what it’s about?”

     “Not how I roll, Lu!”

     Lucy rolled her eyes once again, thinking that sometime they were going to stick that way, and it’d be completely Oli’s fault. She reluctantly followed the boy to the counter.

     Lucy ended up paying for their books, insisting that her soulmate save his money for the later stores. She had gotten four books-the _Giver_ series by Lois Lowry.

     “Alright, I suppose we should find the other two, hm?”

     “I mean, we could always leave them on their little date,” Oli said playfully, tipping his head onto her shoulder.

     She looked down at him, unamused. “Come on, dork.” She took his arm and pulled him with her.

 

     “Jeez, how big is this place?” Jace said, still very confused as to where they were going.

     Garret shrugged in reply.

     “Maybe we passed it?”

     “There you guys are!” Oli hollered as he ran towards the two.

     “Would you slow down?” Lucy yelled after him, trying to keep hold of their new books.

     Oli ignored her and barreled into Garret with a hug, causing him to stumble back.

     “Um, hey,” Garret said, pulling away after a moment.

     “Jace! You made it!” Oli hugged him too, Jace returning the gesture after a second.

     “How hard is it to find a Barnes and Noble?” Lucy teased.

     “It’s not our fault that neither of us have been here before and that the maps are absolutely no help,” Garret fired back, seemingly relaxing around his friends.

     “Wait, y’all already went shopping?” Oli pointed to the bag in Garret’s hand.

     Lucy facepalmed at Oli’s use of “y’all” as Garret’s face grew red.

     “It’s-um-nothing,” he said, holding it behind his back.

     Oli pouted. “C’mon, please?”

     “Why don’t we just head to the next place, huh?” Jace asked with an awkward chuckle.

     Oli’s gaze fixed on the two. A smirk played on his face right before he leaped and grabbed at the bag.

     “Oli!” Lucy chided.

     Ignoring her, he grabbed the bear from the bag.

     “Aw! It’s so cute! Where’d you get this?”

     “Jace got it at the art store,” Garret said, grabbing for the bear.

     Oli’s face lit up. “Aw! He got you a stuffed animal? That’s so cute! Oh, to be in love,” he said dreamily, spinning around. The combination of heelies and a skirt made for an interesting sight.

     “ _Deodamnatus,_ Oli!” Lucy yelled.

     Garret sighed and palmed at his eyes, trying to keep from strangling his friend or dying of embarrassment.

     Jace chuckled awkwardly. “U-um, so! Why don’t we head to the next place!”

 

    “Hey, are you, um, ok?” Garret asked quietly. The group was in a thrift shop, helping Oli look for stuff while looking for a few things themselves.

     “Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine, sorry,” Jace said with a grin.

     “You sure? You’ve been really quiet.”

     A moment passed before he answered. “Is Oli gay?”

     Garret raised an eyebrow. “He’s bi. Why do you ask?”

     Jace shrugged. “It just sorta seemed like it.”

     Garret was confused by that statement, but pushed it away. “I’m sorry if he made you uncomfortable with the whole thing earlier. He can be a pain sometimes.”

     “No, it’s alright. Just, uh, unexpected,” he said with a small laugh.

     “I’ll talk to him about it later. Sorry again.”

     “Hey, it’s chill. It’s just a new kind of teasing I’ve never had before to be honest.”

     “You mean the youth group doesn’t tease you at all?”

     “Oh, no, they do. Just with… well… ya know.”

     Garret raised an eyebrow so as to say, no, he didn’t know.

     “Girls.”

     “Oh. Right.” The two fell silent, awkward tension between them. Garret hadn’t even considered the fact that Jace’s religion might have him against homosexuality.

     “You two getting anything?” Lucy asked, a bag which was presumably Oli’s in hand.

     “Oh, um, no, I think we’re good.”

 

     Garret flopped down next to his sister, face planting into the blanket on her bed.

     “Jeez, who rained on your party?”

     He groaned in response.

     “Can I assume this has something to do with Jace?”

     Garret sat up and hugged his knees to his chest. “What do you think about being gay?”

     Sarah looked at him like he grew a second head. “Where did this come from?”

     He shrugged.

     Sarah sighed and said, “Well, a lot of Christians believe it’s a sin.”

     “What about you?”

     “I… I don’t know. I mean, God loves us; he wouldn’t want us to be unhappy and not be able to love someone just because of their gender.”

     Garret hummed in acknowledgement. He wondered if Jace held the same sentiment. Judging by his reaction to Oli earlier that day, he guessed that he probably didn’t.

     “So, why’d you ask?”

     Garret shrugged once again.

     “Is this about Jace?”

     He nodded after a moment. “Oli was messing around and made a joke about the two of us being together, and he got really quiet. I think it made him really uncomfortable.”

     “Did you ask him about it?”

     Garret nodded. “He said it was fine, but he seemed really uncomfortable.”

     “Seeing as his dad’s a pastor, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was homophobic.”

     He nodded and hid his face in his knees.

     Sarah ruffled his hair and rested her head on his shoulder. “So, you like him, huh.”

     He shrugged.

     She hugged him and said, “It’ll be ok. He doesn’t seem like the type to hate someone just because of their sexuality or anything. At the very least, he seems like a good friend.”

     “Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> question of the chapter is what's your favorite form of social media?
> 
> next chapter:  
> youth group!  
> there's a dodgeball game that gets a biiit out of hand


	11. Dodge-Ball Can't Be Too Bad, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ill add notes later but not now bc im fuckin tired 
> 
> trigger warning for a nose bleed

     “Whatcha paintin?” Aura asked as she sat next to Garret on the floor.

     He shrugged. “I wanted to thank Jace for the other day.”

     “For the bear?”

     Garret nodded.

     Aura leaned forward to look at what he was working on. The canvas was painted a light blue, a sketch lightly penciled over it with some of the sketch covered up by the greenery painted in the background. The right foreground held a tree with someone sitting on the thick branch.

     “Gare, this is beautiful!”

     “You think?”

     “I know it. He’s gonna love it,” Aura said, wrapping an arm around him.

     “You don’t think it’s too much?”

     “I think whatever you do will be perfect.” She ruffled his hair. “You can give it to him at Youth Group tonight, how about that?”

     “What? I thought you said I didn’t have to go tonight.”

     “Hun, I know you can handle a few dodge balls.”

     Garret shrugged. “I guess, but why do they have to have a whole night just for dodge-ball? That seems more than a little excessive.”

     Aura imitated his shrug before kissing his head. “Dinner will be ready in half-an-hour.”

 

     “Get in the car; get in the car; get in the car!” Aura yelled, grabbed her sweater before racing out herself. Garret scurried to grab his shoes and follow.

     Sarah, being the person she was, happened to already be in the front seat.

     The car door closed with joint bangs as Aura and Garret jumped in the car.

     “Alright! Let’s go!” Aura yelled, pulling them out of the driveway a lot faster than was probably safe. Sarah and Garret shared looks of fear before pulling on their seatbelts and gripping the hanging handles.

     “Could you, uh, maybe not break the sound barrier?” Garret said.

     “Aw, we’re perfectly safe, don’t you worry! Besides, otherwise we’ll be late!”

 

     Thankfully they survived the harrowing trip to the church, and Sarah and Garret headed inside. Instead of the room they typically held youth group in, they were supposed to meet in the back fellowship hall. Thankfully, it was fairly easy to find, seeing as it was one of the largest rooms of the church.

     “Hey! You came!” Jace called as the siblings entered the hall.

     Garret shrugged. “Might as well find some way to get an excuse for skipping gym.”

     Sarah elbowed him before heading off to find Brooke.

     Jace stuck his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. “I’m honestly surprised you ended up coming. I didn’t think this sort of thing was your, well, thing.”

     Garret rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “It’s, uh, really not. Aura wanted me to come.”

     “Aura?”

     “Oh, I mean my mom.”

     Jace nodded in acknowledgement. He pointed at Garret’s backpack. “You might want to put that in the other room; these can get a bit intense,” he said with a chuckle.

     ‘U-um, actually, I wanted to give you something.” Garret placed the bag on the ground and knelt next to it, shifting through its contents before pulling out a small canvas. “Um, here.”

     Jace took the canvas and looked at it for a moment. “Woah! Did you paint this?”

     Garret nodded.

     “This is amazing! How are you not like, famous or something?”

     He snorted softly. “You really like it?”

     “I would pay literal money for this, so, yes, of course I like it! Are you sure you want to give it up?”

     Garret nodded again. “It’s a thank you for the other day. I had a lot of fun.”

     Jace smiled. “I did too! You didn’t have to give me anything, but thank you so much! This is definitely going on my shelf.”

     Garret smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

     “I’m gonna put it with my stuff so it doesn’t get damaged. Want me to put your bag in the other room too?”

     “Uh, sure, thanks,” Garret said, handing him his backpack.

 

     A ball just narrowly missed Garret’s head as he ducked, hands flying up to protect his face. He didn’t understand why people found this fun. At least he was surprisingly not terrible at the dodging part. The throwing, however? He may as well have been tossing the ball for a literal baby to catch.

     “You doing ok?” Sarah asked him, having just gotten back in. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a ball whizzed past him, hitting Sarah.

     “Are you serious? I just got back in!” she hollered, grumbling as she went back to the snacks table.

     Distracted by his sister, Garret failed to notice the ball headed straight for him. He turned around just in time to get a face full of rubber.

     As soon as everyone noticed the blood pouring from Garret’s nose, the game halted.

     “Oh my gods, dude, I’m so sorry,” Brooke said as she led him over to a seat. “Are you ok? Do you need to go to the hospital? Shit, why aren’t you answering?”

     “Language,” Sarah muttered under her breath.

     “I’m fine, and it’s fine. Go back to the game,” Garret said, holding the damp paper towels someone had gotten for him to his nose.

     “But-“

     “Brooke, please, I need a break anyway.”

     She sighed, before saying, “Fine, fine, but take care of yourself or your sister will yell at me.”

     Garret sighed as the small crowd finally dispersed, going back to the game. Curling into his sweatshirt a bit, he impatiently waited for the bleeding to stop.

     “What the-What happened?” Jace demanded, suddenly standing over Garret.

     “Ball, nose, owe, blood,” garret replied, ever so eloquently.

     Jace rests his head in his hand. ‘I leave for five minutes and this is what happens. Here, let me see.” He reached out to Garret’s face, but Garret pulled away.

     “I’m fine, I promise.”

     Jace sighed and pulled back, sitting next to him instead. “So, who’s winning?”

     “I have absolutely no idea. I think the far side is?”

     “I thought the sides were right and left?”

     Garret shrugged. “At this point, I’m not even sure if there are sides.”

     Jace laughed. “You’re probably right.” He looked over at Garret. “Sorry you got hurt.”

     Garret shrugged again. “Not your fault. Besides, it’s just a nosebleed.”

     “Your blood’s supposed to be in your body, not coming out of your nose.”

     He rolled his eyes.

     Jace chuckled before turning back to watch the game.

     “You should go play,” Garret said, not wanting him to miss out on the fun.

     “Nah. I’m giving my arm a rest anyway,” he replied, holding up his right arm.

     “Oh, what happened?”

     “Not really sure. It’s been sore for a while now.”

     Garret nodded in acknowledgement.

     The two went back to watching the game. It appeared to be quickly turning into a free-for-all instead of teams. There were a few alliances, but otherwise it was a frenzy. Honestly, it was a surprise that nothing had been broken as of yet.

     A yell and a crash were enough to prove that last thought wrong. Thankfully, it was just an old lamp. Either way, they decided to move the game outside.

     “They probably should’ve done this before the lamp broke,” Sarah said.

     “Eh, makes it more fun,” Brooke chimed in, resting her arm on Sarah’s shoulder.

     Garret rolled his eyes at the two.

     “Oi, what are you rolling your eyes at, bloody nose?”

     “It’s not bleeding anymore,” he grumbled, rubbing at his nose.

     Jace laughed, going to poke Garret’s face. He moved away before Jace could, scoffing and kicking his shoe.

     “Last chance for the new game!” Devon called, holding a dodge-ball over his head.

     “You in?”

     “Oh, you’re on, pastor’s kid.” Garret grinned as Jace stuck his tongue out at him.

     “So, when are they getting together?” Brooke said, leaning on Sarah.

    Sarah just sighed and shrugged.

     As it turned out, Jace was really good at throwing. Then again, seeing as he played basketball, that wasn’t a surprise. However, he was not the best at dodging, and that was putting it lightly.

     Garret was surprised to find himself lasting more than a minute in the battle. Granted, most people were targeting the better players, but still.  He was proud.

     Well, he had been proud up until he ended up causing the scene for a second time that night. His feet had gotten twisted with someone else’s, and, of course, he was the one to fall.

     “Woah, sorry ‘bout that,” the guy who unintentionally tripped him said.

     “Gar! You ok?” Jace asked jogging over. He had taken his arm brace off earlier.

     Garret nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. At least I’m not bleeding this time,” he joked.

     Jace grinned. “That’s certainly a plus. Here, I’ll help you up,” he said, extending a hand.

     Garret reached to take it. The moment his arm met Jace’s hand, the world stopped.


End file.
